Issued by: Beth Stafford 414-229-4800 bstaff@uwm.edu Sheri Urban, MIAD Public Relations, (414) 276-7889 Date: June 20, 2001

July VAM! Focus: Downtown / Historic Third Ward

The 6-9 p.m. reception in the MIAD Gaslight Building, 117 N. Jefferson St., also opens MIAD's The Gaslight Show. Other participants in the VAM! event include performing arts groups from the Third Ward Arts Association. Also at the July 13 event, local artists will present Traveling Wearables, a creative interpretation of clothing as art and personality, at public events such as Bastille Days.

"VAM! is bringing art out to the public through its events and the Traveling Wearables project," says Mark Lawson, MIAD director of galleries and July VAM! event chair. "The summer festivals offer a unique opportunity to share the artistic diversity of the city, particularly downtown Milwaukee, with a broad group of residents and tourists. Traveling Wearables engage the public directly in the visual arts and encourage them to visit VAM! events."

For each monthly VAM! focus, the Traveling Wearable artists create worn forms in a specific color to draw attention to the VAM! celebration. The July color will be green. Traveling Wearables is funded by VAM! through a Milwaukee Arts Board grant.

"Set in MIAD's Milwaukee Gas Light Building, The Gas Light Show presents work by some of Milwaukee's most accomplished visual artists--MIAD faculty members," says Lawson. The industrial ambience and century-old cream city brick building inspired an experimental approach to the exhibition, which will feature thematic and media-based groupings on two floors. The exhibition will be on view July 13 through July 28.

Lawson also points out that many of the same organizations highlighted on July 13 also participate in the July 27 Gallery Night. During that 6-9 p.m. event, two one-night only exhibitions will be presented: Rust Spot at 342 North Broadway and Tenant at 1007 W. Mitchell Street. "Organized by MIAD alumni Harvey Opgenorth and Gabe Lanza, these shows feature new work and site-specific installations by some of Milwaukee's finest young and emerging artists. This will be the fourth presentation of Rust Spot, which has become a popular stop for Gallery Night visitors in the Historic Third Ward," says Lawson.

One of the nation's leading visual arts colleges, MIAD offers BFA degrees in nine majors, outreach programs, gallery exhibitions, the Hotel Milwaukee radio show and the William F. Eisner Museum of Advertising & Design.

Visual Arts Milwaukee! (VAM!), a collaborative effort among Milwaukee's artists and art organizations to raise awareness of the arts, is presenting a public celebration May through October. Each month, events and exhibitions highlight a neighborhood that hosts a vibrant arts scene. VAM! sponsors include the Greater Milwaukee Foundation's Mary L. Nohl Fund, Milwaukee Arts Board, Milwaukee Institute Art & Design, UWM Cultures and Communities Program Office and Peck School of the Arts, Milwaukee Art Dealers Association, Hi Hat, Shepherd Express, Eller Media, Ries Graphics, ltd. and private donors.

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